Despite recent uptick in U.S. commercial office real estate landlords defaulting on their loans, the chances of the same trend moving north of the border is low, says Jim Clayton, professor and Timothy R. Price chair in real estate and infrastructure with the Schulich School of Business at York University. Since the onset of the […]
Since municipalities and provinces fund public services and infrastructure with clear environmental and social benefits, as well as having substantial power to shape policies in their jurisdictions, municipal and provincial bonds are useful tools for institutional investors pursuing a thematic environmental, social and governance approach, according to a new report by the United Nations’ principles […]
The federal government’s plan to consolidate Canada mortgage bonds into the Government of Canada bond program could limit pension funds’ ability to mitigate risk through diversification, according to the Pension Investment Association of Canada. In an open letter to Finance Canada, the PIAC said the move may force institutional investors to choose between accepting lower […]
U.S. state and municipal pension funds are on track to miss investment targets and are unlikely to see meaningful improvements in their unfunded liabilities or funded ratios in 2023, according to a new report by the Equable Institute. The report, which analyzed trends in benefits, cash flows, contributions, funding and investments at 225 of the […]
An article on how global pension funds compare in terms of transparency was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Five Canadian pension funds receive top scores for transparency: benchmark 2. How plan sponsors, insurers are considering coverage of weight-loss drugs amid rising use […]
The infrastructure arm of the Ontario Municipal Employees’ Retirement System is investing in a fibre-optic communication network provider. OMERS Infrastructure has agreed to make a significant capital commitment in Beanfield Technologies Inc., which operates 4,000 kilometres of fibre-optic broadband infrastructure network in Canada. The investment will be used to support the network’s expansion. According to […]
The funded position of a typical defined benefit pension plan increased on both a solvency and accounting basis during the month of June, according to the latest pension index from Telus Health. In June, the solvency of the average DB plan rose to 103.2 per cent, up from 101.4 per cent during the month of […]
Vestcor Inc.’s chief executive officer John Sinclair will retire after 20 years with the organization. He’ll stay on as CEO of the provincial investment management, pension and benefits administration organization until a successor is named following a board-led executive search process. “On behalf of the board of directors and the over 150 professionals who work at […]
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec is investing in a Quebec-based company that develops, sells and rents pre-fabricated modular buildings for the educational market. According to a press release, the investment will enable AMB Modulaire, in which Lise Bernier and Jacques Latreille have been shareholders for more 15 years, to finalize the transfer process […]
Canadian institutional investors are optimistic about the prospects of emerging markets bonds, with more than half (52 per cent) saying they’re likely to increase their exposure over the next two years, according to a new survey by Vontobel Asset Management Inc. The survey, which polled more than 200 global institutional investors across Asia-Pacific, Europe and […]